Instagram users are warning each other about a new feature that could accidentally expose your secrets. The new update means that it is possible to see who else is in a person’s “close friends”. Until now, that information had been secret, and finding out who else is considered a close friend could potentially cause fallouts or other issues. Instagram’s close friends tool lets people choose certain friends that they trust more, and place them in a list. Users can then share stories only to those friends, and they will be off limits to anybody else. In a new update rolling out this week, however, Instagram now lets people share posts and reels with only their close friends. That opens it up from just Instagram’s stories feature. That is potentially hazardous, however, since posts and reels include likes and comments. It means that anyone who sees a close friend post from a friend can now that anyone liking or commenting on that posts is also in a person’s close friends community. It as an attempt to make the app feel more private. Instagram described close friends as a “pressure-free space to connect with ​​the people that matter most”. “We hope this opens up more ways to be your most authentic self on Instagram while having more choices over who sees your content,” it said in its announcement. But it has also led to numerous warnings from TikTok users and others that users should be aware that they might accidentally compromise their privacy in uploading such a post, and that they should be aware that they might be making their close friends list slightly more public. The new close friends posts and reels are used by sharing a post as normal, and then clicking the “audience” button and choosing “close friends”. It will then only be shown to people in that close friends list and will be labelled with a green star icon to make that clear. The close friends list is the same across stories, posts and reels. It can be edited by clicking onto your own profile, choosing the three lines in the top right and then selecting the “close friends” option. Read More Meta to allow users to delete Threads accounts without losing Instagram WhatsApp might be getting its most controversial ever update Political ads on Instagram and Facebook can be deepfakes, Meta says

Google is developing an artificial intelligence tool for news publishers that can generate article text and headlines, the company said, highlighting how the technology may soon transform the journalism industry.

MUNICH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 12, 2023--

Apple's Logic Pro is an app that's permanently on my "learn how to use properly"

Bandai Namco recently announced Little Nightmares. This is everything we know so far.

Save up to $60: As of September 21, you can save up to 70% off

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 13, 2023--

Germany’s ruling coalition agreed on an expanded package of tax-relief measures for companies worth about €7 billion ($7.6

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 23, 2023--

By Stephen Nellis The U.S. Commerce Department should end all technology exports to Huawei and China's top semiconductor

WhatsApp may be moving towards allowing people to be found by usernames rather than just phone numbers, according to a new update to the software. The system would let people choose a unique username that could then be used to start new chats. That would allow people to more easily share their contact details without also giving away their phone number. The new update is found in a beta version of the app that has been made available for Android, according to WABetaInfo, which has a track record of finding unannounced features in the app. That beta version shows a part in the settings that allows people to choose a WhatsApp username. “This is your unique username,” the app says, alongside the separate option to choose a name, which is available in the app now and shows alongside messages. The option to select a username will be found within the WhatsApp settings and then the “profile” option, the report indicated. It is inside the latest beta version of the Android app – though is not fully supported even in that system, being still under development and not visible to early testers. There is no real indication of how those usernames might work. WABetaInfo speculated that the system could be relatively limited – such as simply allowing communication with businesses without giving up a phone number to them – to the more general usage as a way to speak to other people on the app. Conversations initiated using usernames appear to keep end-to-end encryption, the report said. WhatsApp has recently rolled out a host of changes intended to protect the privacy of users. Those have included new changes that let people control the information they give up alongside their chats, letting people leave group chats more quietly and allowing people to choose specific people who can see when they are online, for instance. The company has said repeatedly that its aim is to allow WhatsApp conversations to feel like real life, with the privacy and temporary nature that brings. Other related features have included the option to delete messages and edit them after they are sent. Throughout all those changes, however, WhatsApp has always used the phone number as a way of creating and verifying accounts, as well as finding other people on the app. As such, it has meant giving up your phone number in order to talk to anyone, including businesses who may abuse it with spam calls or other marketing. Read More WhatsApp will let you edit messages after they are sent — but there’s a catch Major WhatsApp update enables secret chats WhatsApp unveils new feature to protect ‘your most intimate conversations’

Scientists have made an astonishing discovery that suggests bacteria contain memories to be passed on to future generations. Researchers at the University of Texas and the University of Delaware found that despite having no brain or nervous system, certain bacteria may be able to form memories and remember certain behaviours depending on the available cellular iron. When iron levels are low, bacteria can hunt for local iron in their environment, prompting scientists to believe its memory has evolved, according to Science Alert. "Bacteria don’t have brains, but they can gather information from their environment, and if they have encountered that environment frequently, they can store that information and quickly access it later for their benefit," Souvik Bhattacharyya, the lead author of the recent study said. "We show [...] that a prior experience of swarming is remembered when Escherichia coli encounters a new surface, improving its future swarming efficiency," Souvik explained. "An iron-based memory might offer the advantage of providing a hub connecting various stress responses such as antibiotic survival and biofilms." The 'memories' lasted for around four generations, before generally coming to an end by the seventh. "Before there was oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere, early cellular life was utilizing iron for a lot of cellular processes. Iron is not only critical in the origin of life on Earth, but also in the evolution of life,” the study author went on to explain. "It makes sense that cells would utilize it in this way." How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.